Disconnect switch



June 27, 1939; M B LL 2,164,231

DISCONNECT SWITCH Filed March 1, 1938 3 SheetsSheet l 4? EL U a;

3 3 38 gmwmi J1me 1939- A. M. DE BELLIS DISCONNECT SWITCH Filed March 1, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 27, 1939. A, M, DE BELUS 2,164,231

' DISGONNECT SWITCH Filed March 1, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 27, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,184,231 DISCONNEOT SWITCH Application March 1, 1938, Serial No. 193,379

7 Claims.

This invention relates to disconnect switches and more particularly to disconnect switches for use with or forming a part of a bus system of the type in which each phase is completely enclosed in an individual grounded duct or casing.

Objects of this invention are to provide enclosed disconnect switches of simple and rugged design, the moving blade and jaws of each switch being so related as to form, in eifect, a part of the rigidly supported bus when the switch is in closed position. An object is to provide a disconnect switch having jaw members rigidly supported in a metal housing and adapted to be secured to the axially aligned ends of the bus, and having a blade member mounted with the bus sections to engage the jaw members or, alternatively, into a position parallel to and remote from the axis of the aligned bus sections. An object is to provide a bus type of disconnect switch in which each of a pair of jaw members is supported in an individual heavy frame by three insulators, and the movable switch blade is carried by a pair of insulators that lie in the transverse planes of the two groups of jaw member insulators, the arrangement of insulators being such that the switch, when closed, is rigidly mounted coaxial with the bus sections. A further object is to provide a. multiple phase disconnect switch for use in an enclosed bus system, the switch having a complete metallic housing for each phase of the bus system, the jaw members of the switch being rigidly supported at one end section of the associated housing for connection to the ends of the bus sections of that phase, and the other end section of each housing providing a space into which the double-break switch blades may be simultaneously withdrawn by a common operating mechanism.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same as viewed from the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through one switch unit and its housing, the housing and the switch jaw at the left being shown approximately in central section and the switch jaw at the right being shown in elevation; and

Fig. 4 is an end view, looking axially into the switch housing, the end plate of the housing being omitted.

The particular embodiment of the invention for translation into axial alignment herein illustrated is adapted for use with or in a bus system such as described and claimed in the copending application of Harold H. Rudd, Serial No. 167,639, filed Oct. 6, 1937, Electrical bus systems. The bus system therein described includes insulator frames within which the bus of each phase is supported by a plurality of radially extending insulators, and duct plates that extend between the insulator frames to form a separate duct or housing for each phase. The switches of this invention include housings which are built into the duct system of the protected bus sections of the separate phases.

The switches may be arranged at any angle but,

- for convenience of description, it will be assumed that Fig. 1 is a plan view of a disconnect switch which joins two horizontal runs of a three phase bus system. The and elevation, Fig. 2, shows the housings in appropriate position for insertion between two vertical sections of bus.

In Fig. 1, the housings of the switches for the separate phases are identified generally by the reference characters A, B and C, the housings being held in adjacent but spaced relation by a plurality of straps or angle bars I. Each housing includes opposite walls or plates 2 having openings for the entrance of the bus, and ring flanges 3 are secured to walls 2 about the openings to support the ends of duct-forming plates such as described in the Rudd application. The exact construction of the housing is not important so long as it is relatively rigid and substantially air tight. As shown, the basic framework of the housing comprises a welded frame of angle bars 4 which extends around the edges of the rectangular body of the housing. The plates 2 are secured to the frame angles 4 by bolts, not shown, and the top, bottom and end plates 5, 6,

1, respectively, are connected to the frame in like manner. 40

A rigid flanged plate 8 extends across the interior of the housing and is secured to the angle framework 4, Fig. 3. A pair of heavy frames 9 of approximately U-shape are secured between the transverse plate 8 and the bottom section of the angle framework, and the plate 8 has openings H) in alinement with the open upper ends of the U-frames. The central planes of this frames 9 are transverse to the axis of the openings in the housing walls 2, and the frames are spaced inwardly from those walls.

Insulators II are secured tothe bottom and legs of the U-frames 8 to support the jaw elements of the switch in alinement at the centers of the two frames. Each jaw member includes a tubular sleeve l2 of rectangular cross-section which has openings for receiving screws l3 that secure the sleeve to the metal inserts it in the ends of the insulators. A plurality of plates l5 extend through each sleeve 52 and are held in spaced parallel relation by studs l3 and spacers if, it. The inner ends of the sleeves I2 and plates is are sharply inclined to the axis of the sleeves i2, and the ends of the plates IQ of the switch blade are similarly inclined. The blade members i9 have contact bosses 20 for engagement with similar bosses, not shown, on plates if) of the jaw members, and the ends of plates i5 are slotted and reinforced by the fingers of a spring plate 25.

The plates K9 are secured in parallel spaced relation to heavy bars 22 by bolts 23 and spacers 2d, and the bars 22 are pinned to inserts 25 in the lower ends of insulators 28.

The insulators 23 are in the transverse planes of the sets of insulators H, and the upper ends of insulators 26 are secured to a blade carriage 21 that has end hubs 28 guided on parallel rods 29 which extend between the transverse plate 8 and a top plate 33. The carriage 21 is supported by the threaded stems 3| that are above and coaxial with the insulators 26, the mechanical connection being made through nuts 32 on the stems and sleeves 33 which are pivoted on the nuts and secured to the carriage. The threaded stems extend upwardly through the central section 38 of the top plate 30 and are journalled in boxes 3d that are mounted on the end plate.

Bevel gears, not shown, aremounted on the upper ends of the threaded stems 3i and on the ends of cross-shafts 35, 33. Shaft 35 of switch unit A is journalled in a plate 3'! that is fixed to an angle bar i, and the shaft 35 carries an operating member which, as shown, may be a manually operable wheel 38. Cross-shafts 38 transmit rotary motion between the ends of the threaded stems 3i of each switch unit, and motion is transmitted from a stem of one unit to a stem of an adjacent unit by bevel gears, not shown, in the boxes 34, stub shafts 39, and insulating shaft sections 40 that are connected between the stub shafts 39 by flexible joints AL.

The wheel 38 is normally locked against rotation by a bar 42 that is locked in place by'a key-controlled unit 43. This interlock does not, however, form any part of the present invention.

Reverting to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the outer ends of the contact plates l5 of the jaw members have openings l5 for making bolted connections to the ends of the bus sections at opposite sides of the disconnect switch. The switch jaws thus form extensions of the bus sections and, when the switch is closed, the contact plates IQ of the blade are meshed with plates I5 of the jaws and extend between. the bus sections. Each end of the switch is rigidly supported against transverse stresses by four insulators that are uniformly spaced about the switch in a plane transverse to the axis of the bus and switch. Current surges which tend to force the switch laterally are resisted by com pression stresses in the insulators and the construction is therefore strong mechanically as the usual porcelain insulators are freed from tension and cantilever stresses.

The disconnect switches are to be used, as is customary, to isolate a section of the bus system after the circuit breakers are opened. Some features are useful in other relations and it is therefore to be understood that there is considerable latitude in the design and construction of disconnect switches which fall within the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim: 1. In a disconnect switch, a pair of jaw members in spaced amal alinement, a plurality of insulators supporting each jaw member against transverse displacement, said insulators for each jaw member being in a plane transverse to the axis of the jaw members, a blade member, insulators carrying said blade member and located in the transverse planes of the insulators of the respective jaw members, and means for displacing said blade member and insulators to carry said blade member into and out of engagement with said jaw members; the several insulators in each of the said transverse planes being spaced circumferentially of the axis of the jaw member to restrict the stresses in said insulators to compression stresses when current surges tend to displace said switch members transversely.

2. In a disconnect switch, a pair of U-frames in spaced parallel relation, a set of three insulators extending from the base and legs of each frame towards the center of the frame, jaw members supported in axial alinement by the respective sets of insulators, a blade frame and operating means for moving the same towards and away from the plane of the open ends of said U-frames, a pair of insulators on said blade frame and in substantially axial alinement with the insulators carried by the bases of the respective U-frames, and a switch blade carried by said pair of insulators.

3. In a disconnect switch as claimed in claim 2, jaw members comprising plates having end surfaces sharply inclined to the direction of movement of the switch blade, the ends of the switch blade being correspondinglyinclined.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 2, wherein each jaw member comprises a short tubular member of rectangular cross-section, means for securing the tubular members to the insulators of the associated U-frame, and a plurality of plate members extending through and supported in spaced parallel relation by each tubular member, the outer ends of each plate member being apertured to facilitate connection to the adjacent bus section.

5. A disconnect switch comprising a pair of spaced parallel frames of approximately U-shape, a rigid plate member extending across and se- 0 red to the open ends of said frames, said plate member having openings therethrough corresponding to the open ends of the frames, jaw

members within and alined axially at substantially the central points of the U-shaped frames, insulators supporting each jaw member within its frame, a blade carriage, means including said rigid plate member supporting said blade carriage for movement toward and away from said jaw members, a switch blade, and insulators secured to said carriage and extending into the open ends of said U-shaped frames to support said switch blade.

6. A disconnect switch as claimed in claim 5, wherein said supporting means comprises a pair of rods, and said blade carriage has hubs slidable on said rods for the guiding of said blade carriage.

7. A disconnect switch for use with an enclosed bus, said switch comprising a housing having alined openings in opposite walls for the entrance of the ends of bus sections, flange members secured to the housing about said openings for jaw members, insulators secured to said blade carriage in the planes of the insulators of the respective U-frames, a switch blade supported by the insulators of said blade frame, and means for moving said blade frame to carry said blade into and out of engagement with said jaw 5 members.

ALDO M. m: BELLIS. 

